


this is a state of grace

by quisinart4



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2040492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quisinart4/pseuds/quisinart4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Oliver/Felicity drabble collection. Title from the Taylor Swift song <i>State of Grace.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. thunder

**Author's Note:**

> Jumping on the Olicity drabble train, even if I'm way late. But the amazingness of Comic Con inspired me so I thought I'd put all my drabbles in one place. :)
> 
> This was inspired by the s3 premiere trailer. Seeing Oliver open up to Felicity makes me emotional, and I couldn't help but think of him reaching a point in his life where he feels more comfortable to open up to others around him - with Felicity at his side, of course.
> 
> As always, comments are much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

She jumps when she hears the thunder, nearly dropping her burger as the sound echoes in the foundry around them.

"Wow, that was a loud one."

"Scared?" Roy teases playfully from the other end of the table.

"No!" Felicity says quickly, glaring at him. "And even if I was, having a fear of thunder and lightening would be totally fine. It's called astraphobia, for your information."

"Nerd." The fond look is evident on Roy's face as he playfully insults her, even when Felicity throws a fry at him.

"Now, now, kids," Diggle chides paternally from his chair. "Play nice."

"I'm not scared of thunder like I am, say, heights, or landmines, or mirakuru super soldiers-"

"I wonder what the phobia name for that is," Roy jokes, and even Oliver cracks a grin at that.

"-and even if I was, it would be a perfectly legitimate fear," she concludes. "Besides, it's so _loud_." Felicity shudders dramatically.

"I don't blame you,” Oliver tells her with a soft, reassuring smile. “It's worse when you're out in the open."

"The open?" Roy asks absentmindedly as he focuses on getting the right amount of ketchup and mayo on his burger. "Like you mean camping?"

"The island," Oliver explains. Roy looks up in horror, clear apology on his face at the subject he's brought up, but Oliver continues to speak. "It would feel like it was coming from everywhere, echoing all around us. It would be hard to hear anything else, to know if anyone was headed our way."

Roy and Diggle still at this confession, staring at each other in surprise at the memory that Oliver relays so calmly over burgers and shakes.

But Felicity doesn't look surprised at all, nodding at his words as if this is just another part of his past that she's tucking away, a facet of himself he's shared with her so generously that she wouldn't dare to refuse.

"That must have been terrifying, Oliver." She moves her chair closer to his, her knees bumping into his, but it's not enough so she leans in closer, resting her head in the crook of his neck, staring up at her boyfriend with all the world's affection in her eyes. Oliver wraps an arm around her, fingers toying with her hair as if he can’t resist touching the strands, as if he’s gaining comfort from that gesture alone.

"I would never be able to sleep those nights," Oliver says absentmindedly, as if he's forgotten about those long, terrible nights of restlessly shifting from one side to another, always keeping an eye open for any sign of intruders, be they animals or armed men.

There's a moment of silence at the table, as if the entire team mourns for the  sleepless nights their fearless leader faced. He's in front of them now, rested and rejuvenated, but the vulnerability he's revealed hangs in the air between them, a fog they're fighting to see him clearly through.

Then Felicity, ever radiant Felicity, smiles and leans in, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek and murmuring just loud enough for his ears only, "You slept fine enough last night."

Oliver grins, a quick flash of brilliance as he turns his face to drop a quick kiss on her lips, long forgotten laugh lines appearing on his face more easily now that he has the remarkable blonde in his life in every meaning of the word.

"You done?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Felicity chirps brightly, standing up and tugging on his hand, waiting for him to toss his burger wrapper in the trash can on the other side of the foundry. "Show-off," she says lovingly, shaking her head at his perfect throw. "Bye, guys, we're heading home," she says over her shoulder to Digg and Roy.

Her words seem to remind Oliver that there are other people in the room, and he offers the guys a nod and a "good night" as he waits for Felicity to grab her purse, then takes her hand and follows her out the door and into the night.

"Did he just-" Roy begins.

"Yup," Diggle says, the shock still evident in his tone.

"-talk about the island? Like, _normally?_ Over dinner?" Roy elaborates, hands flying as he continues to point in the direction Oliver just left. "Like... did he just do that?"

"I believe he did," Diggle confirms with a thoughtful nod. "Huh. Good for him."


	2. plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A dash of angst in this one. Plus who doesn't love a good Barry mention, am I right? ;)

"What are you doing here?" Oliver questions when he comes down the stairs and sees Felicity at her usual spot behind the computers. The new lair set-up had taken forever, but they finally have it to their liking. It doesn't feel like home quite yet, but hopefully it will soon.

"What are  _you_  doing here?" Felicity questions back with confusion. "I thought you were staying uptown over the weekend to meet with your lawyers."

"They're gonna get back to me next week," Oliver tells her, looking up to find Digg and Roy sparring on the other side of the room. "I thought you were going to be in Central City this weekend for Barry's birthday."

"Oh, you know, I just… I just mailed my gift. No biggie." Felicity turns back to her computers unusually quickly, not meeting his eyes as her fingers begin typing quicker than ever.

"I thought you were going with your STAR Lab friends to be there for his party," Oliver recalls as he moves towards her desk, leaning against the table as he tries to catch her eye. "You were adamant about having the whole weekend off. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I just decided to stay in town." Felicity's words are more sharp than usual, her face lacking its usual cheeriness. Her clipped tone and careful word choice makes it clear she'd rather not discuss this any further.

But Oliver has never been one to respect social boundaries.

"But I thought-"

"You know what, man," Diggle says as he joins his partners, "let's just let Felicity's business be Felicity's business, okay?"

"Yeah, who cares why she didn't go?" Roy moves to her other side, frowning up at Oliver as if he's being deliberately dense. "That just means she gets to spend more time with us, so great!"

Oliver looks between the two men in confusion until he realizes they are very much aware of something he's not. He can't help but feel a little left out as he glances back at the blonde computer girl who has her head in her hands, not even attempting to look like she's doing any work.

"Ugh, you guys, just stop." Felicity sighs and swivels in her chair to face Oliver. "Fine. You wanna know? Barry's Facebook status changed from 'single' to 'in a relationship' this week so I thought I'd skip the party where everyone will be gushing over him and Iris, and what a perfect couple they are, and wondering what took them so long to finally start dating. Might as well save my money  _and_  spare myself the humiliation. Happy now?"

"I… oh." Oliver stays absolutely still, grimacing at her tirade and how he had pushed and shoved for answers that only caused her hurt to say out loud. But he can't help but ask, "Who's Iris?"

"Oh, you know, just the most beautiful girl Barry's known since childhood. They grew up together and know everything about each other and have a million memories together. Sound familiar?"

Oliver winces at the analogy that hits a little too close to his own love life. "Sorry. I didn't know."

It's not an excuse that Roy or Diggle seem to think is good enough because they continue to stare at him as Felicity shuts her computers down and pulls on her sweater.

"Well, since I will be here all weekend, I think I'll grab some dinner and call it an early night," Felicity announces brightly. She avoids Oliver's gaze entirely as she grabs her purse, looking to Roy and asking, "Big Belly? Shall we?"

"Sure," Roy agrees. He glares at Oliver one last time as he falls in step with Felicity to leave. "I'll even pay."

"Roy, that's cute," Felicity teases, "you're really trying to cheer me up with that joke."

"I didn't know," Oliver repeats to Diggle in defense of his behavior as he hears the door slam behind them. "It's not like Felicity and I talk about that sort of stuff."

Digg scoffs. "Yeah, I wonder why."


	3. waiter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's so short it's almost embarrassing to post, but oh well, here it is!

"And I will have the pasta ravioli with the side garden salad, Caesar dressing, please. And can you make sure they don't have any peanuts near my food? I'm allergic," Felicity informs the waiter with a bright smile. "You do not want me to go into anaphylactic shock and cause a scene, trust me."

"Yeah, sure," the guy says distractedly, eyes on his notepad as he scribbles down their orders.

"Be right back," Felicity tells the boys with a smile, pointing towards the back where the restroom is located. "Don't start drinking without me!"

Oliver waits until she disappears before turning to the waiter, snapping his fingers to get the gangly teenager's attention. Despite being seated and having to look up at the guy, he still radiates an aura of power that he would in a boardroom wearing an Armani suit, or in the Glades with his crossbow.

"Hey. Make it clear to the chef there should not be a  _single_  peanut within a ten-feet radius of her food, or I will sue your entire franchise and see to it that you are put out on the street. Do you understand?"

"I- um- I-" The waiter's face pales in horror at the threat, his eyes darting to John at the table as if expecting the other man to apologize for Oliver's behavior.

John Diggle does no such thing.

"Yes, I get it, I mean, I understand, sir. Got it."

It's only after the waiter is gone that Diggle turns to Oliver with a look of amusement on his face. "You know, I really hate mushrooms. Any chance you could use your Queen power to threaten the pizza guy next time?"

"No."

Ten minutes later, Felicity slides back into her seat. "Okay, I'm back. Let the drinking begin! What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Oliver assures her with the softest of smiles.

Diggle turns his laughter into a cough before they look his way.


	4. popcorn bowl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Team Arrow drabble inspired by this adorable fanart by [missmert](http://missmert.tumblr.com/post/94180047290/team-arrow-goes-to-the-movies-to-see) @ tumblr. Thanks to everyone who showed some love for it when I posted it there this weekend. :) Have a wonderful week!

"That’s three," Roy whispered with a smirk as he watched Oliver and Felicity’s hands brush again as they reached for popcorn at the same time.

"Shh," Sara said with a glare, "you’ll spook them."

"What they need is someone to hit them upside their heads," Roy muttered back.

Digg tried to contain a chuckle as he took another sip of his beer. “You joined the team five months ago, and you’re already tired of their dance? How do you think I’ve done it all this time?”

"Right, but you’re… you know,  _you_ ,” Roy says, gesturing at Diggle helplessly as if he has no other word to describe him. “Not all of us are all Army cool. The rest of us-“

"There’s a lot of whispering going on back there," Felicity says, raising her voice to be heard above the explosions onscreen in  _Pacific Rim_. “I made my rule about talking during movies quite clear.” There’s a hint of warning in her voice as if she’s about to ground them all, or give them extra homework.

Roy rolls his eyes and scowls at Diggle. It’s always the second person who gets caught, dammit. “Yes,  _Mom_ ,” he replies back to Felicity sarcastically.

Sara and Diggle chuckle just as Oliver tosses them a grin behind Felicity’s back. Then he turns back to the projector screen, making it obvious to everyone sitting behind him that he’s spending more time watching Felicity from the corner of his eye than the actual movie. Roy watches as Felicity moves to grab more popcorn, and Oliver’s hand, which was resting still in his lap, makes a sudden move towards the bowl at record speed.

"Oh, sorry," Felicity whispers, the hint of a blush appearing on her neck as she shakes her head in embarrassment. "You go first."

"No, you go first," Oliver offers.

"No, you go-"

"Felicity," Oliver says in that tone where he can’t seem to decide whether to laugh at her or kiss her silly.

"Right, thanks." Felicity grabs herself a handful of popcorn, fingers brushing against Oliver’s as she moves her hand away. He grabs a kernel for himself and returns his gaze to the movie, a smile playing on his lips.

"Idiots," Roy mutters under his breath.

"You got that right," Sara agrees.


	5. elevator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just adore the idea of their early dating days and them dancing around each other so adorably, being so hesitant and eager and SO SMITTEN. :') So here's a little elevator moment, and [here](http://s4.uploads.im/e5vnK.jpg) is Felicity's dress.

Oliver observes her from where he stands leaning against the elevator wall, waiting for it to make its way downstairs to the lobby. Felicity has her hair in a fancy complicated braid, her shoulders hunched in exhaustion after having to stand perfectly straight for the last four hours making the rounds with Oliver. Despite her sloppy posture now, he can't help but admire her shoulders, the strong bones and sleek muscles, the way she can carry the weight of secrets more than anyone would believe.

"Thank you for coming with me," Oliver tells her sincerely. "I'm sure a QC board dinner is not anyone's idea of a fun date."

"No, it's not," Felicity chuckles, shaking her head as she thinks of finger food and stale conversation with stuffy, old men who want to poke into her personal life, and peek down her dress.

But Oliver had mentioned a QC dinner tonight, and though she's no longer required to attend since she's back in IT, why not keep him company? No one knows they're dating yet, and they'd like to keep it that way for a while, but at least this way they can still spend time together.

a

"It was my pleasure. Well," she scrunches her face as she thinks over those words, shaking her head to retract them and say, "actually it wasn't. But I'm glad I could be with you."

He smiles at her, so bright and so clear that she's stupefied at the sight. Such smiles are visible more and more these days, and she won't be as presumptuous to take all the credit for them - just _some_ of the credit. It still makes her heart flutter, that genuine smile that she first saw on his face when she called him "Mr. Queen" the first time they met when she dared to question his silly "coffee shop in a bad neighborhood" lie.

Oliver takes a step closer, and then one more, so close that the tips of their shoes brush and she has to tilt her head up to look at him. He brushes aside a strand of hair that's escaped her braid, and bends down, his head dropping to the curve of her neck, arms rising to wrap around her. 

She shivers at the feel of his calloused fingertips on the skin of her back that's left bare by the strapless dress. Her stomach tightens as a flock of butterflies emerge from nowhere, her heart speeding up to take on a faster beat. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, unconsciously arching her body to be even closer to him. 

These hugs are occurring more too, and she doesn't mind one bit. No one would believe how physically affectionate Oliver Queen can be in his own way: grabbing her hand when they leave the lair, his hand constantly at her lower back when they're walking side by side. And these hugs, like sometimes he can't believe she's there, that she's all his, that he has to touch her just to be sure. 

The elevator lights catch her eye, and Felicity murmurs, "Six floors until the lobby." Her hand runs through his short hair as he nods at the words, his scruff tickling her bare shoulder, his face turning to press a kiss against the inside of her throat. 

"Three floors left," she tells him gently, knowing they have to break from the embrace before the elevator doors open. Their relationship is private, every little part of it, and onlookers aren't welcome into their private sphere - only Team Arrow is, and even they have their boundaries to maintain. 

Oliver stands upright again, hands moving away and dropping to his sides, taking a step back as if the physical distance is necessary to hold onto his control. Before they hit the lobby, he leans in again, dropping a quick kiss on her bare shoulder as his hand caresses the soft skin. 

"I like your shoulders," he murmurs. 

"Um, uh, thank you," Felicity stammers just as the elevator doors open. 

Then Oliver's hand is at her lower back again, guiding her across the lobby and out the front doors where Digg is waiting with the car. He keeps an arm around her the whole way home.


	6. dinner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fun speculation on the s3 spoilers and Oliver asking Felicity out. After all, always fun to make the vigilante playboy work for the first date with the woman he loves, right? :D

"Look! 'Starling City Savior: The Arrow Rescues Again'. Look!" Felicity shakes the newspaper with such enthusiasm, the crinkling noise filling the quiet of the lair, and Oliver has to grin at the headline she's showing him, or basically shoving under his nose. "They love you! And there's an article inside listing the other saves you've made in the neighborhood this year. Isn't that awesome?"

"I- it's… it's nice," Oliver admits, unable to hold back a grin. It's a strange sensation, having the city thankful for the vigilante, citizens listing his saves instead of the body count he's left behind. "It's really nice."

"Nice? Oliver, it's  _amazing!_ " She's nearly bouncing in her seat as she looks back at her computer screen where other Starling City newspapers and magazines are open for viewing. "They're calling you a hero. They love you! It's just… I just… it's so amazing." She turns to him with a look of pride, her cheeks pink with excitement she can't contain. "I'm so happy for you."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

The pink flush on her skin turns a bright red at the praise, and she smiles at him, shaking her head bashfully at the comment. "Well, I'm hardly on the front lines or anything, but-"

"Felicity," he interrupts firmly, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Thank you," she beams. "We have to celebrate."

"How about dinner tonight?" Oliver asks quickly, before he can lose his nerve. He takes a step towards her, suddenly feeling awkward and unbalanced on his feet, a sensation he hasn't felt since before the island. He holds his breath after extending the invitation, fingers unconsciously twining together as if wishing he had his bow for comfort.

Her silence as he waits is the scariest situation he's been in, and he's survived Lian Yu, Hong Kong, and the villains of Starling City.

But Felicity's smile shines through the darkness, and he suddenly feels like the luckiest man in the world despite his many scars.

"Of course! Team Arrow has to celebrate! Big Belly's it is," she declares with such gusto that Oliver is knocked into silence.

He takes another step closer, weighing his words as carefully as he can while panic hits him at her misunderstanding.

"I- um… no, I meant, how about just-"

But the sound of footsteps down the stairs interrupts them, and Felicity turns her attention towards Diggle and Roy, holding the newspaper up clearly for them to see.

"Guys, Big Belly's for dinner! We're celebrating today's latest Arrow-friendly headline." She hands Roy the newspaper, and moves to Oliver's side, lowering her voice to a whisper to say, "Hey, don't worry about paying for dinner. I know you're waiting for the lawyers to unfreeze your accounts. It's on me."

Oliver simply stares at her in silence, fighting back a hysterical desire to run away and turn back time. Is this how the band geeks that he and Tommy teased mercilessly during prep school felt when talking to girls? Because he understands their struggle now, and he sincerely apologizes for his teenage ways.

"I… thanks, Felicity," is all he manages to say.

She gives him another bright smile, squeezing his forearm in reassurance as if he must have been worrying about coming up with the fifteen dollars for a burger, fries, and drink.

Money had been the last thing on his mind.

She had been the very first.


	7. advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity offers Oliver some romantic advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I started a while ago and finally forced myself to finish on a day off. A smidgen of angst, but I think we'd better brace ourself for a healthy dose of that in s3. 
> 
> Happy September! And thanks in advance if you comment.

She feels him approach her even before he's in her line of sight. Her skin tingles with awareness and she looks up from her magazine to see him smiling to himself as he takes in the music blaring from her iPod and her reading material. The corner of his mouth tugs up and the amusement lingers in his gaze. 

"Slow night?"

She grins at the joke, because, well, this is Oliver and she'll take signs of his sense of humor whenever she can get them.

"Oliver, this is so amazing! We've had barely anything to do this week with Captain Lance back on the force, and the city cowering in fear of you. Well, not you-you, Arrow-you," she clarifies. "And respect. They respect you too. You basically saved their city from mass explosion and a coup of super-soldiers."

"I had help," he says quickly, nodding at her. 

As if she'd ever forget the part she played. 

She quiets for a moment, but nods graciously, eager to push away any memories of that night, especially with Laurel working at a desk in the corner of the lair. The lawyer is officially on Team Arrow now, and has been working with Oliver to build cases on criminals he'd apprehended - but "the legal way" as she keeps insisting. Felicity and Diggle mostly stay in the background as the two work together, sharing grins of amusement at Oliver's muttered comments about the legal system. 

"Well, if it means more quiet nights like this, I'm all for the city worshipping you," Felicity declares. "It's about time you get the respect you deserve for the hero you are to these people."

Oliver shakes his head, almost looking bashful at her praise, and she swears she sees his cheeks flush the slightest bit. "Felicity-" he begins, in that tone she knows means he's going to argue with her. It's the same tone he uses when she argues for honey mustard over regular mustard, for colorful post-its instead of just the boring yellow ones, for Mac over Windows. 

"Yes, you are a hero, and don't even argue," she says quickly, pointing a finger at him before he can continue his sentence.

"Fine."

She can see a smile playing on his lips, but it's gone the instant she narrows her eyes at him. "Fine, you're a hero, or fine, you won't argue?"

"I won't argue," he answers. This time, he doesn't bother hiding his smile, and she can't help but smile back. 

"The city is getting better. They know you're watching out for them, and they want to help. They believe in the good of human nature! Hobbes was right." At Oliver's puzzled look, she waves a hand to explain, "Seventeenth century philosopher? Never mind. But this is a good thing. It means people are taking responsibility for themselves. It means you can have an actual life, Oliver."

"You think?"

"I do. Take a night off, watch a movie, catch up on _Lost_ \- wait, no, don't, the island theme, that's bad. But... you can have your life back, Oliver." She chances a glance at Laurel from the corner of her eye. The other woman is still working diligently on her paperwork, as focused on legal jargon as Felicity gets when she's immersed in lines of code. Felicity lowers her voice slightly to say, "You should ask her out."

Oliver startles at the advice, looking over his shoulder as if he's expecting Diggle to be there. But the other man left hours ago, stating it was too boring a Saturday night for him to be stuck in an ARGUS lair, he'd rather be home with Lyla, and not to call unless more super soldiers were headed their way. 

"I- Who?"

"Laurel, of course," Felicity states with a crinkle of her brow. She knows he's a college drop-out, but he's being a little slow regarding this train of thought - the train's already left the station. "She's right here in your superhero lair, Oliver. Your worlds have collided. This is everything you ever wanted with her. You can finally give it a real chance without hiding your identity. Well, _identities_ , considering the basketful you have."

He still looks a little dazed, as if the idea has not crossed his mind at all, like she's hit him upside the head with the notion. But how could being with the love of his life not be on his mind all the time? 

"Felicity, that's not..."

"Hey, it's cool. You don't have to like, share the inner workings of your love life, honestly." She chuckles awkwardly, because everything about this is awkward in itself. But she sees the way he lingers at night when Laurel is here working with them. She sees the way his eyes linger over the two of them as they remain in the lair while he steps out for battle. She can sense how he's poised as if on the brink of saying something or making a move. If she's the one who can urge him to reach for his happiness, then she should. 

That's what friends are for. 

"I'm just saying... you should go for it. She's right here within your reach." She smiles at him softly one last time as she grabs her sweater and powers down her computers. 

"Yeah, I will," Oliver nods, watching her every move. She may stutter in her words but she is the epitome of grace as she moves around the lair, arranging her monitors and pushing in her chair. She fits in this space so perfectly considering he had never told her about the second lair. But it was like the place made room for Felicity on its own, knowing his missions weren't complete with her presence in the room and without her voice in his ear. 

"Good night, Oliver. Good night, Laurel," she calls out on her way out the door. 

"Good night," Laurel replies back with a wave. She looks over to catch the confusion displayed on Oliver's face. "You look confused. What was that about?"

Oliver shakes his head and replies honestly. 

"I... I have no idea."


	8. headache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's loving all the Olicity teasers we're getting? One month to go!
> 
> This is a little dash of angst as we gear ourselves up for s3. Thanks in advance if you comment. Have a great weekend!

"Felicity? Felicity?!" 

Felicity looked away from Diggle, her eyes scanning the crowd to where Oliver came rushing through. He looked impeccable in his suit, not a hair out of place, but his eyes were flashing with worry as he came to the back of the ambulance where she was sitting, holding an icepack to her forehead.

"Are you hurt?"

She went to shake her head no, then winced at the onslaught of pain from where she'd been pushed onto the pavement. "Ow. Just my head." His eyes surveyed every inch of her, steady and steely as if searching for any new bruise he could find. She remembered the wrist brace Michael the paramedic just put on, and waved her arm lamely to show him. "And this. I twisted it a little."

"She's okay," Diggle assured Oliver, his voice an octave lower as if this was a reassurance Oliver needed delivered to him in a softer tone. "Security managed to pull the guy off her in record time, but our girl was holding her own."

"Even in heels," Felicity added proudly. 

"Even in heels," Diggle repeated with a grin thrown her way. 

"So, he just..." Oliver swallowed back the guilt already choking him and tried once again to get the words out. "He knew you had been my EA?"

Felicity remained quiet, her eyes focused on him with a sadness he couldn't bear to see. It was like she knew that by answering her question, by confirming the truth, she'd only add to his already brewing guilt. So she remained silent.

Diggle answered instead. "You were a high-profile member of the business world while you were CEO, Oliver, and Felicity was at your side last year for the press conferences and black-tie events. I don't see how physically assaulting your ex-EA could get a guy his job back, but far be it from me to understand a junkie."

Oliver took a deep breath, shakily exhaling as he tries not to focus on the bruise he sees blooming on Felicity's forehead. But he can't help it - the mark of color on her pale skin only reminds him of another time, another evening, a date that went so wrong that her dress was streaked with blood and her hair soaked with tears. 

"I'm sorry, Felicity," he said, his hands hanging limply at his side, ordering himself not to reach for her. "I'm so sorry."

Felicity gave him a forced smile, shaking her head at his apology. "It's not your fault. Unless you're the crazed druggie who tackled me in the parking lot, Oliver, you have nothing to apologize for." He opened his mouth to speak again, to contradict her, and she met Diggle's gaze, rolling her eyes in frustration. "And, of course you don't believe me, so why do I even bother?"

"I..." Oliver began, but realized she was absolutely right - he didn't believe her. No matter what she said or how many times she said it, he would still think it was his fault. 

Once again, she knew him better than he knew himself.

And they both knew this was the reason they were't together right now. 

"Felicity? Are you okay?!"

Team Arrow turned as the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated, Ray Palmer, approached them, hands outstretched in familiarity to reach for Felicity. With an ease that Oliver envied, the man walked right up to her, brushing back her hair and examining the fresh bruise with concerned eyes and gentle hands. 

"Just a headache," Felicity told him. 

Ray smiled at her gently, his hands framing her face as he looked into her eyes. "See, I told you you should never have left the IT Department. Would have saved yourself a headache right about now."

He pulled her into a hug, and Felicity closed her eyes to the pain she saw flash across Oliver's face at the gesture and at Ray's line. 

"Yeah, you're probably right," she agreed absentmindedly as her head pounded furiously. 

Would have saved herself a lot of heartache, too.


	9. nap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a nap today hand my aunt is pregnant. Here you have fic. :) 
> 
> Thanks in advance if you comment, even on such a short, pointless drabble. Hope everyone is having a wonderful September - one month to go!!

He rouses her gently, his hand brushing aside her blonde hair, smoothing back the tendrils that have escaped from her ponytail.

"Felicity?"

She mumbles under her breath, turning her head to burrow further into the pillow, eyes closing tighter against the disturbance.

"Felicity, it's late. Time for dinner."

She opens her eyes and slowly adjusts to the bedroom light with a wince after having been under the covers. Even on warm summer nights, she sleeps with a blanket, something that took Oliver some getting used to. He hates to be constrained in his sleep, tossing and turning in bed, needing freedom in his movements in case the need to defend himself from an impending attack or an unsettling nightmare arises. But now he can accept being under the covers because holding on to Felicity all night is the prize.

"Food," she says with a dreamy sigh.

Oliver chuckles, his hand resting on her cheek as he leans in to kiss her. It's warm and protective, making her feel safe in their bedroom, making her hum with pleasure and reach for him. He rests his forehead against hers, surveying her closely with his bright blue eyes.

"How was your nap? Are you feeling okay? Digg said-"

"Digg is worse than you with the hovering. No, that's impossible, you're definitely first. But he's definitely second. And Roy is definitely third. Well, Roy and Thea tie for third. Or maybe Thea is third and Roy is fourth?" She pauses to think, shaking her head to dispel the oncoming thoughts and answer his questions. "I feel great. The nap was nice, except now I won't be able to sleep tonight. It's a good thing Roy has a mission planned tonight so I can be on comms."

Oliver frowns at her. "Felicity," he begins, but she interrupts before he can continue.

"Don't _Felicity_ me. We spoke about this. I am perfectly safe in the lair as I've always been."

"I don't want you take on more than you can handle."

"I can handle it just fine, I promise. I'm pregnant, not an invalid, Mr. Queen." She leans in to give him a quick kiss to reassure him and soothe his worries. Her hand runs through his scruff, appreciating his five o'clock shadow after a long day of work. "You can stay behind with me, if you want," she offers with a grin. "Let Roy do this one on his own. I have plenty of ice cream and frozen yogurt snacks I'll share. Except I get to pick the night's movie."

"When do I ever get to pick the movie?" Oliver grumbles goodnaturedly. But his gaze brightens as he holds her hand and helps her sit up, dropping a kiss on her baby bump before meeting her eyes. "It's a date."

"You know I'm just going to play the Black Widow movie again, right? And you still want to stay behind?"

Oliver drops another kiss on her forehead as he guides her down the stairs, his hands at her waist as he carefully watches her every step. "I know. I guess it must be love."

Felicity beams with affection even as she shakes her head at him playfully. "You're just hovering again, admit it."

"Never."


	10. bedroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff. :)

"We should probably move this to the bedroom."

"Why's that?" Oliver asks, his voice lazy with just a hint of post-sex roughness. The sound makes Felicity melt as a shiver runs through her and she cuddles closer into his side for the feeling of closeness more than one of warmth.

"Because… because people visit me in this living room. I can't have Roy and Thea sitting on the couch playing video games while I'm imagining us rolling around on the floor half-naked." She shakes her head at the sentence, as if that should be obvious, and looks up to meet Oliver's eyes.

"You imagine us rolling around naked a lot, do you?" Oliver teases, raising an eyebrow in amusement as he peers down at her.

"No!" Felicity answers a little too quickly, burying her head into his chest, feeling the rumble of his laughter as he chuckles at her immediate denial. The vibration of his chest soothes her and she feels a thrill of success at having made him laugh for the second time today. She loves to keep count, but she loves even more the days she loses track. She knows her face is bright red and she hits him gently on the shoulder, smiling to herself when he pretends to wince with pain. "I can't help it. I'm a very visual person. And, come on, you're like,  _always_  shirtless."

"I am not 'always shirtless,'" he retorts, turning so they're facing each other, side to side, on the rug in her living room.

They had both been fully clothed and seated on the couch earlier, but a kiss had led to a touch, and a touch had led to buttons being undone, and here they were, half-naked on the living room floor, basking in the afterglow, and in the actual blue glow from the big screen TV alerting them that the DVD has finished playing. They hadn't bothered to press the eject button, much more focused on each other.

"You're shirtless a good majority of the time," Felicity counters back. "What's a girl to do?"

"That's why we keep ending up naked in the living room," Oliver declares, a hint of pride in his expression, his voice light to indicate he's relaxed enough to tease her, "you and your imagination."

"Hey, it's not all my fault!"

"I didn't say it was all you. It's my fault too." He leans over her, his hands trailing up the unzipped skirt, fingers brushing at her thighs as he drops a kiss on the side of her neck. "You have no idea the imagination I have when it comes to you, Miss Smoak."

Felicity nearly whimpers at his words and at his touch, at the heady look in his eyes when his gaze meets her. She bites her lower lip, fighting to control her breathing even as she feels her heart race faster. She's sure that he can hear it too.

"Really?"

"Really," is all he says before he kisses her again.

They don't make it to the bedroom until the next round but Felicity doesn't mind one bit.


	11. grandma smoak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some future fluff inspired by the awesome appearance of Donna Smoak in 3x05. So cavity inducing that I'm cringing about posting it, but I miss these two and my happy future for them so thought I'd go ahead and share. Thanks if you read. Have a great week! :)

"A grandmother, Felicity.  _Me_ , a  _grandmother_. What have you done?"

Felicity laughs, her eyes locked on the baby in her arms as the comforting noise of the hospital machines hums around them while the infant nurses hungrily. The sound coming through clearest of all was her mother's voice, but she's so happy right now that she doesn't even muster up the energy to tune her out.

"Sorry, Mom. I did give you plenty of warning. It was a nine month process."

"But a  _baby_ , Felicity. A  _baby_. I'm a grandma. I may as well throw out my good underwear and buy granny panties," Donna comments. But there's pride on her face as she watches her granddaughter. Just eight hours old, the little girl is already so active, as if itching to get out of the blanket she's so tightly wrapped in, ready to explore the world around. That's from the Smoak side of the family - strong, courageous women who refuse to be caged.

As Felicity finishes nursing, Donna rises to her side, fixing her hospital gown and adjusting the baby on Felicity's shoulder for her to be burped. "There you go, nice and gentle now. And don't worry, your boobs will still look amazing after breastfeeding. It's the luck of the Smoak genes."

"Mom!" Felicity shakes her head in surprise, her hands running up and down Grace's back. "I am not worried about how my boobs will look! I'm happy to nurse my child."

"Well, of course you are, I didn't say you weren't," Donna argues. "I'm just saying you don't have to worry about how you'll look  _after_  breastfeeding, because," she gestures toward her chest, "believe me, they'll look amazing."

"I- that is not- I don't care," Felicity states a little too quickly. Her mother raises an eyebrow at her in amusement, and sure enough, Felicity adds, "Okay, alright, I admit, that's good to know."

"That's my girl," Donna boasts proudly as she settles back into her armchair with the latest  _People_  magazine. "My girls," she adds teary-eyed once again as she watches Grace in Felicity's arms.

"Mom, do not start crying again, because my hormones are all out of whack, and if you start, I won't be able to-" And sure enough, her voice breaks and her eyes water and-

"Hey, hey, are you crying again?" Oliver rushes in from the hallway, setting the tray of food down on the table as he moves to Felicity's side. "Are you okay?" His hand moves to her shoulder automatically, and she leans into him, her head finding its usual resting place on the breadth of his shoulder.

"My mom's making me cry again."

Oliver simply smiles, running a hand over the strands escaping her messy ponytail, exchanging a grin with Donna across the room. "Donna, we talked about this."

"Food?" Felicity asks brightly, eyeing the tray on the bedside table. The hospital had been given special orders about her diet, but Oliver, ever protective Oliver, had one of his chef friends prepare the meal specially so there wasn't even a chance of anything peanut-related in a ten foot vicinity.

"Food. But you have to give me the baby first."

"Nope," Felicity says automatically, shaking her head.

"Fe-lic-ity," Oliver sighs. "Not fair. She's mine too."

"But I don't wanna let her go yet," Felicity whines, throwing in a pout as she looks up at Oliver beseechingly.

Though he's known for giving into his wife, this time Oliver remains firm, shaking his head as he gently reaches for Grace, willing his hands to remain steady as he handles the newest, most precious thing in his life.

"You have to eat. You'll get her back right after, I promise."

Their faces lean close to one another as Felicity hands him the baby, their eyes locking in a gaze that connects them as instantly as that very first day in her office at Queen Consolidated so many years ago. Felicity forgets all about her unbrushed hair and the crusty bits of make-up in the corner of her eyes, the tear tracks that labor left down her cheeks. She hasn't even showered yet. All she sees is the love shining through Oliver's eyes, taking her back to a candlelight dinner in an Italian restaurant where he first began to give her pieces of his heart.

"Stop looking at her like that. That's how you got her pregnant in the first place," Donna adds from her seat.

"Mom!"

Oliver drops a kiss on Felicity's forehead as he moves his chair as close to her bed as he can. "I think there was a little more than that involved."

"Oliver!" Felicity calls out, shaking her head in embarrassment, even as she laughs.

Oliver releases a chuckle, a noise of breathless wonder, the same sound he's been making all day whenever Diggle and Thea and Sara and Roy have congratulated him on fatherhood. The elated grin on his face had only morphed into an expression of fear when Roy teased him about his future - scaring off teenage boys from his daughter who will have the beauty and brains of Felicity, and maybe her penchant for short skirts too.

"You two, honestly," Felicity chides, but nothing can wipe away the grin on her face. "You're gonna wake up Grace."

"It's fine, honey, the baby may as well get used to the sound of laughter in her life," Donna suggests, giving the Queen family a smile as she reaches for the next magazine from the stack on the table.

"See, Felicity, she might as well get used to it," Oliver repeats to his wife.

His eyes remain locked on his baby girl as Felicity eats dinner. He manages to hold on to her for another eight minutes before Felicity asks for her back. He relents without a fight; he's never been able to say no to a Smoak girl.

In the future that proves true for a Queen girl too.


End file.
